


So, This Is Paradise?

by draco_somnians



Series: Day of Indulgence [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cliche, Explicit Language, F/M, Graphic Sex, Stranded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-16
Updated: 2010-03-16
Packaged: 2017-10-08 00:48:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draco_somnians/pseuds/draco_somnians
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Sam get stranded on a desert island. AU set sometime in season 7. Written for dayofindulgence 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

“Can you believe they did this to us?” Jack groused from in front of her.

“No sir,” she answered curtly, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve as they trudged on through the trees.

“I’m gonna kill Daniel when we get back. Next time, we go back to Earth with the delegates and Danny and Teal’c can stay and make nice with the locals.”

“Yes sir,” she sighed. She took another small sip of water from her canteen; she wanted to drink the lot, her throat and lips were so dry from the heat, but she knew they had to make it last.

“All for a little bit of fucking Trinium.” He carried on moaning and she tried to tune him out. They needed the Trinium, he knew that, and he also knew that it wasn’t just a little bit; if these negotiations went to plan, they’d have more Trinium than they actually needed. A stockpile of the stuff had been far too tempting for the Joint Chiefs, and so they’d been ordered to do whatever was necessary to secure it.

_“As far as I can make out,” Daniel started, the frown on his face concerning Sam somewhat, “They want you and Sam to stay and take part in a ritual.”_

The colonel’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, “As far as you can make out?”

Daniel shrugged apologetically, “Their language is very difficult to translate directly.”

“What kind of ritual?” Sam asked, eyeing Daniel with suspicion.

“You have to go into the woods for three days.”

Jack waved his hand encouragingly in front of him, “Aaaaaand....?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?” he asked incredulously. “We just camp in the forest for three days? What’s the catch?”

“I don’t think there is one.” Daniel glanced back at the leader of the alien people, Sarki, who smiled and waved enthusiastically at SG1. “You spend three days in the woods to prove you’re worthy of their allegiance, and they want to send two delegates to Earth to learn about us.”

“Why just me and Carter?”

“I’m not sure,” Daniel shook his head a little, that frown back on his face, “I’ve kind of built up a rapport with the ones that are coming with us, and we know they don’t really trust Teal’c.” Their reaction to seeing a Jaffa walking into the village had been startling to say the least. It had taken days to convince the elders that Teal’c wasn’t going to hurt them.

“Ok, if you’re sure that’s all we have to do.”  


  
She was ridiculously hot, the sweat soaking through her jacket and making her vest very uncomfortable. She’d give anything for a nice cool shower right now; and a change of clothes. She hefted her pack a little higher on her shoulders, almost groaning under the weight, but knowing they couldn’t stop until they got to somewhere safer.

“...‘No catch Jack’ he says, ‘just three days camping in the woods’. Yeah right. When I get my hands on the little...” The colonel carried on from there but lowered his voice, muttering under his breath, and she tried not to roll her eyes.

“Do you really think they did this on purpose?” she asked instead, not really believing anybody would go to this extreme to test their allies' resolve.

“Yes!” he answered emphatically, “It’s too much of a coincidence that they send us into the woods and then all of a sudden the trees catch fire.”

“Could just be the weather,” she ventured and he turned his head and glared at her. He’d suddenly become an expert on forest fires and had quite clearly told her there was no way this was an accident. He turned back to look where he was going, but it was a little too late and he stumbled on a tree root, which set him off on another tirade of muttered curses.

_“Carter! Carter, wake up!”_

She groaned and rolled onto her back. Surely it couldn’t be time for her watch already? She felt like she’d only been asleep for a few minutes.

“What’s going on?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision, and noticed it was much brighter than it should be, considering he was waking her up in the middle of the night.

“We have to move, now!” He was already packing up their stuff and the urgency in his voice brought her to full attention. “There’s a fire. Get up.” She moved quickly out of her sleeping bag and pulled on her boots, grateful that it had been warm enough for them not to bother with the tent.

Before she knew it, they were ready to move, everything they’d brought with them safely stored in their packs. He took point and they began to move in the direction opposite to the fire; and that’s when she realised the fire was between them and the village.

“Uh...sir?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m hoping we can find the other end of these trees and double back around.”  


  
She glanced at her watch; that had been ten hours ago and they hadn’t stopped for more than a few minutes at a time since. They’d eaten power bars while they walked, unable to stop for real food, and were running low on water. The blaze continued on behind them and what little sky she could see through the canopy of the forest was bright blue and clear; they couldn’t even hope for rain to put it out. At least they had the shade of the trees to protect them from some of the glare of the blazing sun, but the heat and humidity were starting to get to her.

Eventually she noticed that the trees were beginning to thin out a little, and she was sure she could see more blue ahead than green. Thank god, they were almost out of here; she didn’t even want to think about the hike back to the village if they had to walk all the way around. The aerial survey she’d seen from the UAV had made the forest seem pretty expansive and she wondered if the Colonel had seen the same pictures she had. She wasn’t about to ask him, absolutely certain she’d get her head bitten off if she did.

They reached the edge of the trees and she was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard a loud barking curse from the man in front of her. She stepped out of the trees beside him, and as she took in the sight in front of her, a small “Oh!” formed on her lips.

Stretching out in front of them was a large crystal-clear blue ocean. The rocky shore curved around into a large bay to either side of them, the trees almost up to the shoreline all the way along. As she looked from side to side she saw the flames had spread further and wider than they thought and were making their way towards them from either side. They weren’t in any immediate danger but there was no way they were walking around this.

“Still think this is a coincidence?” he asked archly, pointing to the water where a small wooden boat was anchored, bobbing up and down on the waves. He dug a pair of binoculars out of his pack and began to scan the horizon of the ocean. After a few minutes, he lowered the binoculars and pointed out to sea. “There’s an island a few miles out.” He turned back to survey the forest behind them, then scanned either side of them again. She could almost hear him analysing their options. He let out a heavy sigh, obviously not liking the conclusion he’d come to. “We’ll row out and see how far along the coast this forest stretches, if it’s too far to row around, we’ll take the boat out to the island and wait for the fire to burn out or until we’re rescued.”

She raised her eyebrows, “That’s it? That’s your plan?”

“You want to take your chances back there?” he jerked his head, indicating the direction they’d just come from. She didn’t answer, she didn’t have to; they both knew this was their best option. He stepped down onto the rocks, slinging his pack into the boat, which rocked a little as he did.

“Do you think it’s sea-worthy?” she asked, even as she followed him, eyeing the rickety vessel with suspicion. He didn’t answer, just gave her an exasperated look. Right, no other options. She sighed heavily and stepped into the boat, taking his outstretched hand for balance. With their packs in the boat, there wasn’t much room; they were going to have to take turns rowing. He shrugged his jacket off, slipped on his shades and automatically took up the oars, motioning for her to untie the boat from where it was moored at her end. She took her jacket off too and the cool sea breeze felt wonderful against her overheated skin.

“Get some rest,” he ordered, “We’ll switch in a couple of hours.”

***

She woke to feel the heat of the sun blazing down on her and the gentle rocking motion of the boat almost lulling her back to sleep. She stretched out her arms and rolled her head; her muscles were aching already and a tiny wooden boat was definitely not the most comfortable place she’d ever taken a nap. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, squinting in the bright sunlight reflecting off the water. Jack was still rowing, but he looked exhausted. Every pull seemed like too much effort, sweat was dripping from his brow and soaking through his t-shirt, and he grunted with exertion between deep breaths. He paused, resting his forearms on the oars and gave her a weak smile.

“Feel better?” he asked.

She nodded truthfully. The sleep had done her some good, she didn’t feel like she was going to drop at any moment anymore, but she was still too hot and her mouth was too dry. She picked her canteen out of her pack and slowly took a few sips, then glanced at her watch. Damn, she’d been asleep for almost four hours.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. “You needed the rest; you didn’t get much sleep last night.” He was still breathing too quickly.

She motioned for him to move, “Time to switch, sir.” He didn’t argue, just carefully manoeuvred himself to the opposite end of the boat while she did the same, both of them trying not to rock it too much. She settled into position, flexing her grip on the oars and, bracing herself for the journey ahead, began to row. It wasn’t easy; the weight of both of them, plus all of their gear, was more than she’d expected it to be and she felt a sudden pang of guilt for resting so long.

There was a time when such a comment from him would have her bristling in irritation, stepping up on her feminist soapbox and ready to prove herself; these days she felt no need to, she’d learned quickly that he respected her just as much as any of the men he worked with, and if he was looking out for her, protecting her, it was in no way because he thought she wasn’t as strong as him.

He stretched out as well as he could, letting out a low groan as he straightened out his back and she winced in sympathy as she heard his knees pop at the change in position. He took a sip of water and she watched as his body slowly unwound and relaxed. He picked up their second canteen and poured all of their remaining drinking water into one before dipping the empty one into the ocean, pulling it back out and pouring the cold water over his head and neck. He shook his head, scrubbed a hand through his hair and grinned at her. “Much better, but I'd rather jump in.”

She laughed softly as he looked longingly at the rippling water beneath them. He tried to lie down, but the boat didn’t really accommodate his six foot two frame, so he settled for as close to lying down as he could manage and closed his eyes. Even if he didn’t sleep, he needed to rest.

It was two hours before he woke and she had to wonder at how he did that. He always kept perfect time in his sleep off-world, always waking for his watch without an alarm and without fail, no doubt trained into him during his years of black ops. He stretched out his arms and blinked the sleep out of his eyes, sitting up, instantly awake and alert and glancing over her shoulder.

“We’re almost there,” he said and she nodded. She’d been checking over her shoulder periodically and had been relieved when the island finally seemed to be getting nearer. She could make out a few details of the approaching shoreline; a long stretch of sandy beach fading into luscious greenery, a few rocks scattered here and there amongst the breaking waves and absolutely no sign of habitation. If they weren’t on an alien planet and about to be stranded, she would’ve thought it the perfect spot for a vacation; a true untouched paradise. She had been unsure about his vague plan of action, but as she’d watched the burning forest they’d left behind expand along the coast, stretching far beyond her eyesight, she knew he had been right. There was no way they would’ve been able to walk around; this really was their only option for survival.

They took rowing shifts of thirty minutes each for the rest of the way and eventually felt the bottom of the boat skim across the sand underneath the water. They jumped out, heaved the small boat into shallower water and secured it to one of the rocks before unloading their gear and dumping it down on the beach, well above the tide mark and out of reach of the breaking waves. She stretched, the muscles in her arms and shoulders burning from the exertion of the day, but they had much more to do before nightfall.

Jack clapped his hands together, “Ok, first thing we need to do is find water, we’re almost out.”

She nodded wearily. “Yes Sir.”

“I’ll go see if I can find anything,” he nodded towards the trees, “Start making camp.” He picked his vest up and pulled it back around him, clipping his P90 to it and securing his radio in its pocket. He tapped the radio with his fingers, “Contact every ten minutes.” Then he grabbed their canteens and made his way into the trees.

He was gone almost an hour, returning just as it was beginning to get dark. She’d made camp, organising their respective kits, bedrolls and sleeping bags, and building the makings of a fire for cooking their MREs. She was starving and knew he had to be too. He handed her a full canteen of water and she dropped a purification tablet in it before taking a long drag and letting out a satisfied sigh.

“There’s a spring back there, and a stream leading to a pond,” he said, taking a seat on his bedroll. So they had fresh water for drinking, and clean water for bathing. “I also found a cave,” he continued, extra shelter if they needed it, “And there are tons of little animals running around that look a bit like rabbits, so we might have a food source too, if we need it.”

They spent a comfortable few hours on the beach managing to finally cool down by slipping off their boots and bathing their hot feet in the cool lap of the surf. She was amused at the sight of them both paddling in the water, pants rolled up to their knees like children, but it felt wonderful after their long slog today and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him smile like that. The genuine, childlike happiness on his face made her wistful for the days when things were so much simpler between them, when their friendship was just that and not tainted by suspicions, interspersed with so many things they just did not talk about. When they could just enjoy each other’s company and not worry about who was watching them and what they might read into a smile or a casual touch.

The air had cooled as darkness fell and by the time they’d eaten and cleaned themselves up, they were both too tired to do much. He insisted on keeping a watch rota going, just in case there was anything dangerous on this island that they hadn’t discovered yet; they could explore more tomorrow, for now, they both needed to rest.

***

The night was thankfully uneventful and when she woke in the morning, the first thing that she noticed was that the stretch of forest they’d left yesterday was now almost completely engulfed by flames, and still spreading further. It had been quite a sight in the dead of night; the towering inferno reflecting red and orange light over the calm water had been almost hypnotic.

They spent the morning exploring their immediate surroundings and discovered that the island wasn’t all that big. It was a couple of miles square at the most and they hadn’t found a single thing that could be construed as threatening. The cave he’d discovered was small and way back in the middle of the land mass, carved into the rocky cliff face of a small hill. It seemed as if it might have been used as a dwelling at some point: there were scorch marks on the floor near the entrance as if a fire had burned there, and piles of old, very dry wood in one corner.

“You know, this almost looks man-made,” she mused as one hand skimmed across the smooth surface of the rock. The shape was too symmetrical, too perfect, and its sheltered position in the trees made her doubt that it could have been caused by some kind of erosion.

“Oh this is so not a coincidence.” His eyes followed the same line hers had and he shook his head. “I just don’t see why they’ve done this.”

“Maybe...Daniel interpreted it wrong and it really is some kind of ritual, something more than just camping in the woods.” She winced. If they were being tested in some way, their stay here surely wasn’t going to be easy. He was muttering under his breath again and she tried to tune him out, leaving the cave and taking point, smiling slightly when he followed her without question. She wasn’t completely unaware that he’d been doing that more and more over the last couple of years; letting her take charge, even letting her make command decisions. At least their professional relationship was still heading in the right direction; he was grooming her for her own command, she knew that, he wouldn’t be at the SGC forever.

She made her way back to the beach and settled her gun on the ground, double checking the safety, and then tugging her vest off. It was hot; even hotter than yesterday, she thought, and the sun hadn’t even reached its highest point in the sky yet. She brushed her sweat-dampened hair away from her face and blew out a breath.

“We should try and make some kind of shelter,” he commented, his eyes lingering for a moment on her flushed skin and then scanning the beach and woods, “We need shade.”

“The tent?” she asked, but he shook his head.

“That’ll get way too hot and I don’t really want to wreck the material in case we need it.” He too stripped down to just his t-shirt, then he pulled his knife out of its sheath and made his way to the tree line. She followed silently. “Ok, we need some kind of a frame and something to cover it with.” He looked upwards. “Think you can climb up these trees if I give you a boost?”

She looked up; the trees were almost shaped like palm trees, but weren’t as tall, and she thought she might be able to reach and pull herself up. “Yeah I think so.”

“Good, we need some of those big leaves.”

She placed her boot on his linked hands and he lifted her easily until she grasped the tree, making sure she had a solid grip before he let go. She shimmied as high as she could, took out her knife and began to cut the waxy leaves at the stem. She heard him moving around below her, hacking at a few of the smaller plants and she was careful not to drop the leaves on him when she let them go. Working together, they managed to collect enough timber to construct a small wooden frame between two of the trees and enough leaves to lay on top of it for shade.

He surveyed the pile of building material in front of him and clicked his fingers. “We need something to fix it all together. Don’t suppose you have a hammer and nails in your pack?” He was smiling, grinning almost and she shook her head, pleasantly surprised by his better mood today.

“No sir,” she laughed.

“Duct tape?” She shook her head again. “Rope?”

“I’ll see what I can find.” She tipped her pack out onto the sand, rifling through her belongings, and found a pack of tie-wraps she’d forgotten all about. She snatched them up and triumphantly handed them over to him.

“Excellent,” he exclaimed, still grinning. In no time, using the wood, leaves, tie-wraps and a few vines he’d found on the forest floor, their shelter was up and secure; and when she stood underneath it, she had to admit it provided a lot of relief from the burning sun.

She re-packed all her gear and scooped up the clothes she’d been wearing yesterday. “I’m gonna go wash these,” she said, “Want me to do yours too?” He looked surprised at her question, but nodded his assent, handing her his pants and t-shirt from the day before and she smiled a little when she realised he hadn’t handed over his underwear.

She made her way to the small, sheltered pond they’d found, leaving him on the beach, and busied herself washing their clothes, faintly bemused at carrying out such a domestic task as doing his laundry. She smoothed the clothes out on a rock that was in clear view of the sun, where they would dry in no time in this heat, and eyed the inviting-looking water. Scanning the trees, making absolutely sure he hadn’t followed her, she stripped down to her tank top and panties. She briefly thought about going further, but decided against it; if he did come looking for her, she didn’t think she would ever live down the humiliation of him catching her skinny dipping. P3X 595 had been bad enough all those years ago and she barely remembered that.

The cool water felt wonderful against her hot skin and she made her way into the middle of the pond, ducking her head and shoulders under the water. It was the first time she’d felt comfortable since they had left the forest, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, this situation they’d found themselves in wasn’t so bad after all. They’d definitely been in worse over the years, and the surprising shift in his mood offered her a little hope that this could possibly even be good for them; it might offer them a way to reconnect, to fix an ailing friendship.

***

When she made her way back to the beach, she found the colonel sitting under their new shelter, shaping a long stick with his knife. She settled next to him, placing their fresh, folded clothes between them.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He grinned and nodded towards the roll of thin wire on the floor by his side. “Making a fishing pole,” he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Do you always carry fishing wire off-world with you?”

“Yup, never know when you might need it,” he answered sincerely and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re actually enjoying this aren’t you?”

He dragged his attention away from his hands and to her, “You gotta admit there are worse places to be stuck.” Oh yeah, she could think of a few. “And there are definitely worse people to be stuck with.” He grimaced and she knew he was thinking about the last time he’d been stranded off-world.

She raised her eyebrows, “Such a compliment sir, that you’d rather be stuck with me than with Maybourne.”

He cleared his throat and looked out to sea, “Yeah well...just don’t go crazy and try to shoot me ok?”

“I’ll try not to sir,” she said with a smile.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence; all she could hear was a gentle breeze rustling through the trees and the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. Being near the ocean always reminded her of her childhood years spent in California; long days spent playing in the sand and sea, soaking up the bright sunshine. She watched him work beside her, whittling the piece of wood down to a smooth, even surface. They hadn’t been this comfortable with each other in months, the tension between them almost unbearable at times, but they always seemed to have a way of putting all that aside if their survival was at stake. Just the two of them, working together, had a certain camaraderie that couldn’t be matched by anything else.

“It’s a nice beach,” she mused.

“Yeah, it is.” His hands dropped into his lap, his work momentarily forgotten as his eyes scanned either side of them, taking in their surroundings, “Reminds me of Maui.”

She laughed, “What is it with you and that place?”

He bowed his head and she saw a sad smile pass across his face, “Uh...honeymoon,” he answered simply and she closed her eyes, berating herself for prying.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. The quiet tension stretched between them again; they never talked about the fiercely guarded details of his personal life, especially his life before the SGC. Come to think of it, they didn’t talk much at all these days, and she wasn’t even going to try and kid herself that she didn’t know why.

“And I thought it was just the tiny bikinis,” she joked, trying desperately to lighten the mood, and was gratified by a sharp laugh from him and a wide smirk crossing his face.

“Well there’s that too,” he turned his head and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Don’t suppose you happened to bring a tiny bikini with you?”

She felt the flush in her cheeks and lowered her head to hide her smile. “No sir,” she said softly.

He was quiet for a moment and she could still feel him looking at her, until he cleared his throat and turned away. “Danny and Teal’c should be back tomorrow,” he noted, his gaze focussed across the ocean at the still expanding forest fire.

“Doubt there’s much they’ll be able to do,” she said.

“I thought it was my job to be the pessimist?” He turned his head towards her, his expression serious as he spoke his next words, “We’ll be alright Carter.”

***

The first thing Daniel noticed when he stepped out of the Stargate was the huge fire raging through the woods next to the village. The second thing he noticed was the huge smiles breaking out across their delegates’ faces. He frowned.

Over the last three days, he’d managed to pick up a lot more of the alien language, and conversation was flowing much more easily than it had when they left here. He was about to ask Gamada and Abeeku what they were smiling at, but they bounded down the steps leading up to the gate and ran to the village. He and Teal’c followed quickly, confused even more by the excited chatter that greeted them and the animated way Badru, the village’s historian, was gesturing at the fire, the same wide smile on his face. None of the villagers seemed the slightest bit concerned about the danger they might be in, and their leader, Sarki, greeted Teal’c and Daniel warmly.

His eyes scanned the gathering crowd quickly and he saw Teal’c do the same, but there was absolutely no sign of Sam or Jack.

He managed to get Gamada’s attention, “_What’s going on?_” he asked and again Gamada smiled brightly.

“_It is ‘Loshar’,”_ he exclaimed, and Daniel turned the unfamiliar word over in his mind, but couldn’t translate it. “_Your people have done us a great honour, we shall be forever grateful._” He bowed his head solemnly and Daniel felt an instant rise of panic.

“_Where are Jack and Sam?_” he demanded, and he saw Teal’c stiffen at his tense posture and the mention of their names. Gamada grinned, as did most of the crowd, and a low murmur rippled through the throng of people.

“_Do not worry; I’m sure they are safe. They should have made it to the honeymoon island by now_.” Laughter broke out amongst the gathered villagers, followed by whoops and hollers and obscene gestures that left very little to the imagination.

_“Honeymoon?_” Daniel sputtered and drew a hand to his forehead. “Oh boy.”

“DanielJackson, is there something wrong?”

“Oh yeah,” he answered, “Jack’s gonna kill me.” How could he have interpreted this so wrong? He cast his mind back to three days ago, picking apart Sarki’s words; he was almost positive nobody had mentioned an island of any kind and absolutely certain he hadn’t heard any words that translated as “honeymoon”.

He addressed Sarki directly, “_Can you please explain this to me?_”

The chief nodded and gestured towards the smiling historian, “_Badru will explain._”

Badru lead them to his home, thankfully away from the hyped-up crowd of people. They stepped into the cool building and Badru pulled out a well looked after, but very old looking scroll, unrolling it to show Daniel an intricate pattern of pictures and script. It was quite breathtaking.

“_The ritual of Loshar is legendary amongst our people_,” he began, _“We ask all our visitors to participate, and only those who are worthy will become our friends.” _

“_I was sure Sarki said they just had to stay in the woods for three days...”_ Daniel began, and Badru nodded eagerly.

“_That is all we usually require, it is a test of strength, ingenuity, the ability to survive, but none of us even thought they could..._” he swallowed and Daniel was a little alarmed at the tears welling in Badru’s eyes. He placed a hand gently on Badru’s arm, encouraging him to continue. “_The legend tells of visitors from a far off place,_” he pointed to the scroll, _“It is said that when they arrive they will be our salvation. They will protect us from the return of evil_.” He eyed Teal’c apologetically before turning his attention back to the scroll. “_The ground will burn for seven days until the great storm comes, and then new life will grow from the ashes. The ones who instigate true “Loshar” will forever be welcomed here.” _

“_And the island?_” Daniel asked, not even sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

Badru grinned again, “_The island was created by our ancestors, thousands of years ago. It is a sacred place where only the most powerful amongst us are allowed to honeymoon. All of our great leaders are conceived there.”  
_  
Daniel almost choked. Conceived?

Badru continued, “_The chosen ones must journey through the woods and find the vessel on the ocean. They must make it to the island and stay until they have consummated their union.”_

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. They were going to kill him. [  
](http://kirsty841.livejournal.com/56206.html)


	2. Part 2

They seemed to have settled into a daily routine: he always woke first, slipping away quietly to get them water for the day, and there would always be breakfast ready when she woke. She would take their clothes from the day before and wash them in the pond, then jump in herself, cooling and refreshing her body.

On their third day here, she’d taken a knife to her spare pair of pants, cutting the legs off just above the knees and turning them into shorts. Pairing them with her bare feet and just her tank top, she could just about cope with the sweltering heat. The colonel claimed this was real proof of her genius and did the same, and she had to admit, the shorts went a long way towards keeping them cool and a little more comfortable. What she hadn’t been quite prepared for was the sight of him walking around the island wearing just the improvised shorts; no shirt, bare feet and his tanned skin glistening in the sunlight. She had to work hard to keep her eyes off him and felt a stab of shame in her gut every time she caught her gaze wandering to him.

Her guilt didn’t end at just eyeing up her commanding officer, the rules and regulations didn’t stop her looking, even if she probably shouldn’t. What was bothering her more was that since the start of this mission, she’d hardly thought about Pete. When she did, it was only because she’d forced herself to, in order to stop her thoughts fixating on Jack. Shouldn’t she be missing him more? She knew she wasn’t very experienced at serious relationships, her last one had been a disaster of epic proportions, and she certainly hadn’t been involved with anyone on a serious level since joining the SGC, but shouldn’t she be thinking about him more? Shouldn’t she be concerned that he was left at home waiting for her, not knowing if she was coming back or not? The strain her job and the necessary secrecy it entailed put on their relationship was trying at times, but she really believed that if they loved each other, it wouldn’t matter; they would see it through, they would deal with it, no matter what. The fact that they’d almost failed at the first hurdle worried her a little; he hadn’t been able to handle her having such a huge part of her life that he wasn’t involved in. Some days she was amazed that they were even still together.

The colonel would fish every day, taking their small boat out away from the shore, anchoring it with a large rock tied to the mooring rope; she would set traps for the small ‘rabbits’. Both food sources were surprisingly delicious, and sitting around a campfire on a beach, cooking, eating and chatting together, had definitely gone a long way to ease the tension between them, it felt more like the old days of SG1. However, she was still careful with her words; they both avoided those touchy subjects that would bring everything they’d been building this week crashing down around them.

On the fifth day, he’d yelled at her from the water, standing in the boat and pointing to the sky. The UAV was a long way off still, but she could just make out the gentle hum of its engine. She scrambled to pick up her radio and felt a huge rush of relief when she heard Daniel’s voice calling through it.

“Daniel! It’s Sam!” she called.

“Oh Thank God! Are you ok?”

“Yes, we’re both fine Daniel, just a little stuck.”

“Yeah...um, there’s not much we can do about that right now.” She’d been expecting that, but her shoulders still slumped dejectedly. Daniel continued, “We’re just going to have to wait for the fire to go out so we can get to you, or you can get back across to us.”

She’d been expecting that too; after all, she’d had five days on this island with little to do but consider their situation and all the options available. She clicked the radio again, “Yeah, I know,” she said into it gently. Then something clicked in her head, “Hey, how’d you know where we are?”

“The villagers worked out where you’d be.”

Well if that wasn’t vague... “How?”

His voice sounded distinctly evasive, “I’ll explain when you get back, just...be careful, ok?”

“Careful of what?” There was no answer and her radio lay silent in her hand. She looked up to search for the UAV but couldn’t see or hear that either. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath.

What was there for Daniel to be concerned about? She couldn’t help turning and scanning the tree line, her eyes looking for anything that could be construed as dangerous, but found nothing. They’d searched this island thoroughly before allowing themselves to relax this much and found nothing threatening. Her eyes went back out to sea and found the colonel almost back at the shore. She frowned, suddenly his theory about this not being an accident didn’t seem so strange. She wasn’t one to jump to conclusions without all the evidence, but the conveniently placed boat, the apparently man-made cave and now Daniel’s warning and the locals already knowing their location, were starting to make her wonder if this was all just one big set-up.

He approached her on the beach, proudly waving a fish, just like he did every time he caught one, and she laughed softly.

“Daniel?” he asked, his face suddenly serious.

She nodded, “Yeah, he basically told us to hang on, there’s nothing they can do yet.”

He sighed. “Did he find out what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” she frowned again, “He told us to be careful.”

“Careful of what?”

She shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know, we got cut off.”

“Hmm,” he shook his head, then shook it off and held up the fish, smiling again, “Hungry?”

***

They sat around their campfire, eating the fish he’d caught, the clear sky above them bright with stars. He was unusually quiet and she caught him staring at her and froze, a piece of food halfway to her mouth.

“Sir?” she asked and he seemed to shake himself out of his reverie, as though unaware of the fact that he was staring at her. “Something wrong?” she ventured.

He shook his head, “No, I was just...thinking.”

“What about?” she asked cautiously.

“Us,” he answered and she almost choked.

“Us?” she squeaked and his eyes widened when he realised what he’d said.

“No! No, no, not ‘us’,” he gestured between them vaguely, before scrubbing his hand across his face, “I didn’t mean that, I just...” he sighed, his shoulders heaving dramatically, “Something’s changed with us Carter, we used to be friends...” he trailed off.

“We are friends,” she answered and winced when he shot her an accusing glare. He was right, things had changed between them. They’d reached a comfortable place while Daniel had been ascended, reached what she believed to be a true friendship, and she’d stopped caring about what other people thought, stopped caring about whether they were flirting a little too much. Just lately, all of that seemed to be slipping away, and it didn’t take a genius IQ to pinpoint exactly when that had happened and why. She’d gotten stuck on that damn ship and had come home confused, but determined to fix her life; and in a matter of weeks, everything had changed between them.

“Really?” he asked, the accusation clear in his voice, “When was the last time you did anything with any of us outside of work?”

“I...” she thought back and her eyebrows knitted together in a frown. She couldn’t actually remember. “Huh.”

“Exactly.” He picked up a small rock from the sand, turning it over in his hands, before tossing it into the fire. “Look, we’re all happy that you’re happy. Just...don’t forget about us ok?”

The soft, pleading tone to his voice sent a wave of sadness over her; had she really been pushing them all away in favour of Pete? The colonel had made no secret of his distaste for her boyfriend after the whole mess with Osiris and she couldn’t really blame him. On a professional level, she’d been furious herself.

“Are you really?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“Really what?”

“Happy for me?” she asked, not quite believing those words had just left her mouth, but it was something she’d been dying to ask. She knew if the situation were reversed, she wouldn’t be quite so calm about it. His quiet acceptance of her moving on from whatever they were, had been unexpected to say the least. He hadn’t made things difficult for her, he’d just stepped back and wished her luck. She’d been immensely grateful for his support, but she realised a small part of her had wanted him to make it difficult for her to let go, had wanted him to fight for her and prove that her feelings for him were returned.

“Sure,” he answered with sincerity, “If you really are happy.”

His eyes met hers, the unspoken implication hanging between them, and she had to turn away from the intense scrutiny of his gaze.

He sighed heavily, “Didn’t think so,” he muttered, so quiet that she barely heard him.

Her head snapped up, “What?”

“You heard me,” he said, more firmly. “I don’t think you’re really happy with him and quite frankly...you can do better.”

She felt a surge of anger in her chest and heat spread across her cheeks, suddenly furious with him; and herself, for letting this happen. She thought she’d moved on from this, away from hanging her hopes on a fantasy relationship that would probably never happen. She thought they had moved away from that horribly awkward place they’d been in three years ago, a place full of unspoken words, shifty glances, carefully controlled actions and an atmosphere in the team that was so thick it was almost suffocating, “How dare you?” she spat at him, “You have absolutely no right...”

“Don’t I?” he cut her off, raising his voice; his own anger evident with every word, “After everything we’ve been through together I don’t have the right to say I don’t like your boyfriend?”

“Would you like anybody I went out with?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he hissed at her.

“You know exactly what it means Jack.” Her hands balled into fists at her sides and she felt restless, irritated; suddenly needing to scream at him all the things she’d been fighting for the last seven years, her ingrained propriety barely keeping her temper in check. She stood, her body humming with nervous tension.

“Jack?” he echoed in surprise, looking up at her.

“Yes Jack.” She laughed, but it was hollow, without humour, “Do you really think I’m gonna keep calling you ‘sir’ when you’ve been walking around here bare-chested all week and ogling me every chance you get? Making judgements about aspects of my personal life that you know nothing about...”

He was on his feet in an instant and his hands grabbed her shoulders roughly, “That’s enough, major!” he yelled in the tone usually reserved for unruly cadets. He was too close, too far into her personal space, his warm hands burning into the skin of her upper arm, and her breath caught in her throat. She noticed that he was breathing too quickly too. They hadn’t fought like this in years and she had to admit, it felt like they were long overdue. Something had to give eventually.

His eyes eventually broke away from hers and his hands snapped back when he caught himself looking at her cleavage, where her dog tags nestled snugly between her breasts.

He scrubbed his hands through his hair, a frustrated gesture she was very familiar with, and he whispered, almost wistfully, the regret weighing heavy on his features, “Fuck, Carter,” before storming away along the beach, kicking at the sand angrily. She felt a pang of jealousy at his escape as he left her to wait, nervously anticipating his return, and for the first time, she let herself seriously wonder if trying to let go of him, and distancing herself from SG1, her friends and everything she’d held dear for the last seven years, might turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

***

Later the next day, the air began to cool all of a sudden and she noticed clouds forming in the sky. The breeze was stronger than it had been all week and she noticed the waves breaking on the shore more forcefully than usual. She was on the beach alone, as she had been for most of the day, and she pulled her longer pants out of her pack, slipping her jacket on as the breeze chilled her skin. She had no idea where the colonel was. He’d returned to their camp a few hours after their fight, but hadn’t said a word to her, just climbed into his sleeping bag, facing away, and gone to sleep. When she woke this morning, he was nowhere to be seen, but her breakfast and fresh water were waiting for her as usual, which had made her smile; even when they were fighting he still looked out for her.

Hopefully the clouds meant rain was on the way, which might put the fire out and they could finally get back to the mainland and get back home. Her hopes that this would be good for them had been well and truly shot, and she longed to get back to her real life, where she could cling to the structure, hide behind her work and where they could fall back into their usual roles and let this blow over. In the meantime, they would probably need more shelter. The sky darkened above her, casting a murky light over the island and she began to move some of their gear towards the cave they’d found.

She met him at the entrance to said cave and saw he’d stacked a pile of wood inside, his survival instincts obviously climbing up a notch at the prospect of bad weather; if they needed to make a fire, the wood already in the cave was far too dry.

“We might need to use this,” he said simply, jerking his thumb towards the stony shelter. As he did so, they heard a low rumble of thunder and a few large raindrops spattered around them. They both automatically looked up to the still darkening sky and then back at each other. Without a word needing to be said she dumped the pack she was carrying and they both hurried back to the beach for the rest of their stuff.

The force of the storm escalated quickly, the rain falling hard on top of them and soaking their clothes in minutes, the cool wind whipping around them, and as Jack hefted the other pack onto his shoulders, they saw a bright flash of lightning followed in seconds by a loud crack of thunder.

Jack looked upwards, “Damn, that’s close.” Another crack of thunder and the heavens opened, the rain beat down on the ground and the water nearby so hard that the sound was almost deafening. “Let’s move!” he yelled and she nodded, gathering up the very last pieces of their gear and scanning the surrounding area to check they hadn’t left anything. Her eyes were drawn to the waves crashing onto the sand and her eyes widened as she saw their small boat being thrown around near the rocks it was tied to.

“Sir!” she yelled, and he turned back towards her as she threw her burdens on the ground, “The boat!” She was already making her way to the sea; when she reached it, the force of the waves hit her legs and she had to steady herself against the powerful onslaught. She pushed her way almost to the boat, struggling against the sheer power of the water on her legs, the ricochet of the pounding rain making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The water was at mid thigh when a strong wave hit her, knocking her off balance, and the undercurrent dragged her beneath the water. Disoriented, she tried to stay calm, tried to focus her mind on the training she’d had for this and tried to work out which way was up.

She felt pressure on the back of her neck as a strong hand grabbed the scruff of her jacket and hauled her back above the water, coughing and sputtering, gasping for air. He gave her a swift tug and they both ended up sprawled across the wet sand in the shallowest part of the water. She sat up quickly and watched in horror as their boat was thrown hard against a rock, the wood shattering into pieces with a sickening crack.

He was tugging at her jacket again, urging her to her feet and issuing an order to move. She scrambled for the gear she’d dropped on the sand and they quickly made their way to the cave as lightening lit up the sky, the claps of simultaneous thunder almost deafening.

They entered the shelter and stored their gear as far back as they could, out of reach of the driving rain that was soaking the first few feet of the cave floor. He immediately began building a fire, shrugging his wet jacket off his shoulders, and she could see the goose bumps on his arms as he worked. She dug their sleeping bags out of their packs, knowing they had to get dry and warm as soon as possible; they’d been in this situation enough times before for their actions to become automatic.

After a few muttered curses about the wind and rain, he eventually got the fire lit and they dragged their sleeping bags as close to it as they could, removed their wet clothes until they were both down to their underwear, and climbed inside their bags. She shivered and pulled the zipper all the way up, tucking her arms inside and drawing the bag right up under her chin. The fire didn’t offer much heat, the already cool air in the cave would take a while to warm up, and the cold wind blowing in wasn’t helping matters. After a few minutes, she heard his gruff voice.

“Carter, get over here.”

She’d known it was coming, she’d known exactly what they would have to do if they couldn’t get warm by themselves. “I don’t think that’s necessary sir,” she said quietly, trying to repress the shake in her voice and knowing it sounded ridiculous. Of course it was necessary, but she just didn’t want to be that close to him right now, barely dressed, feeling intensely vulnerable after the assault on her emotions and her body in the last twenty four hours.

“Fine,” he huffed out and crawled across the cave floor, dragging his sleeping bag behind him. He tugged at her cocoon of material. “Unzip,” he ordered.

She closed her eyes. “Sir...” she began to protest but he cut her off.

“Carter, you’re just as cold as I am. I can hear your teeth chattering. I know you’re mad at me, but you know the drill.”

She sighed; she knew they had to share body heat, they were both cold and had both been soaked to the skin by the rain and her unceremonious dip in the ocean. She unzipped her sleeping bag, feeling an unpleasant burst of cool air wash inside before he zipped their bags together. She turned to face him and they both shifted until they were as close as they could be without actually touching. She tucked her hands under her head and tried not to move.

“Besides,” he continued, “We’re shipwrecked on a tropical island; dying of hyperthermia would just be embarrassing.”

“Yes sir,” she answered with a tentative smile, unable to resist his lousy jokes even when she was furious with him.

The small space of air around them was beginning to warm up and, eventually, when she’d stopped shivering, she drifted off to sleep.

***

She woke to the sound of rain pattering down outside the cave; it sounded as if the storm had died down a little, the wind wasn’t howling like it had been a few hours ago, but the rain still sounded heavy and persistent. They were probably going to be stuck in here for a while yet, but at least she had warmed up now.

She’d somehow turned herself around in her sleep and his arm was hooked under her head. His nose rested on the nape of her neck, his bare chest pressed against her back, one of his legs had wormed its way between hers and his other hand rested low on her belly. Her breath quickened as she woke to the warm body wrapped around her, but his slow even breathing told her he was still fast asleep. Her arm was trapped underneath her and had gone numb; she wiggled it free, trying not to wake him and gasped when she felt the unmistakable pressure of an erection in the small of her back.

His arm tightened around her waist at the new contact, pulling her to him more firmly and she tried to ignore the pooling arousal deep in her belly, the instant wetness between her legs and the guilt-ridden alarms bells going off inside her head. He was asleep, she rationalised, didn’t know what he was doing and it was only natural that he would unconsciously seek out the warmth of the body next to him. The whole team had discovered that if they slept too close to the colonel when he was deeply asleep, they were likely to get snuggled. It had happened before, very early on, but there had always been lots of layers between them and for the last few years, they had always organised their watch rotas carefully to avoid sharing a tent together.

His fingers flexed on her skin and she fought to control her breathing when his hand slid lower and his nose nuzzled into her hair with a soft moan. His bare skin, the slight tickle of his chest hair, and his strong muscles felt wonderful against her. His fingers skimmed over the soft cotton of her panties and his hand slid between her legs. She whimpered quietly and bit her bottom lip, her body trembling under his touch, and when he ground his hips into her, pushing his erection tight against her back, she instinctively pushed back into him. She needed to stop this, her mind was racing with all the reasons this shouldn’t be happening and the words ‘court martial’ spun around and around in her head; but she just couldn’t get the message through to her highly aroused body.

His fingers increased the pressure on the wet cotton between her thighs and she groaned when his index finger found her clit. She felt a kiss on her neck, a kiss that felt very deliberate and she froze; he was waking up, but still hazy enough to not have reality straight. She laid perfectly still, her breath ragged; his fingers were still moving, his hips grinding into her and his warm breath washing across her neck. Until he quickly pulled his hand away and moved as far away from her as he could in the close confines of their sleeping bags.

“Shit,” he whispered.

She turned to face him, still breathing quickly, and in the dim light cast by the fire, she could see the worry and guilt in his eyes.

“It’s ok,” she whispered back, and through her aroused haze, seeing him breathing heavily, his eyes darkened and shining in the flickering firelight, she had a moment of perfect clarity. Through her confusion about Pete, her frustration at what was happening to her and Jack, she realised her feelings for him hadn’t gone away; she wanted this, she wanted him and to hell with the consequences. He was rejecting her and it hurt, but she was positive that he was only doing it because his instincts were telling him not to give in, not because he no longer had feelings for her. His physical attraction to her was obviously still there and from their heated exchange on the beach, she knew there was still much more lingering beneath the surface, so many things hinted at but left unsaid, so many things locked away in rooms and never to be spoken of again. She was hurting him too; she realised that now. She’d rejected him first.

She shuffled closer to him and a look of alarm crossed his features before she tentatively pressed her mouth to his. He didn’t move at first; just let her lips brush against his and her tongue trace the lines of his mouth. She parted her lips, urging him to do the same and when he did, she slipped her tongue between the soft flesh and they both moaned deeply when their tongues brushed each other.

His hand gripped her hip, his fingers squeezing so tightly it was almost painful, and then he pulled away, still breathing heavily and shaking his head. “We can’t...”

“We already are,” she said, sucking his bottom lip between her teeth and she heard a strangled sound from his throat.

“Carter, stop.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her away firmly, trying to keep her at arm’s length. “There are so many reasons why we can’t do this...”

She kissed his wrist, the only part of him she could reach, and he fell silent. She kept her eyes firmly fixed on his and parted her lips to suckle at the sensitive flesh. “You’re thinking too much,” she whispered against his skin. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes and she felt his racing pulse beneath her lips.

“And you’re not thinking enough! Once we cross that line, there’s no going back,” he ground out, his voice becoming huskier. She worked her mouth a little further up his arm and he didn’t protest, so she chanced moving a little closer to him and letting her teeth graze the smooth, tanned skin of his forearm. His hand moved along her shoulder and up her neck, his fingers lightly dancing across the skin and making her shiver. He still had his eyes closed and she moved even closer, sweeping her tongue along the crease of his elbow and he shuddered, opening his eyes.

She stilled for a moment, lost in those deep brown eyes, and she could feel his fingers playing with a strand of hair behind her ear. He was watching her, assessing her, trying to weigh up his options, the risks; she’d seen that intense look so many times before out in the field, his concentration span at its peak. He was still resisting, still rationalising, thinking this over and over, and she knew she needed to do something to tell him that this was what she wanted, that she’d made a mistake, that she’d got this so very wrong and she wasn’t just acting under the influence of her raging hormones. For years, he’d been waiting for her signal; he’d left it up to her to decide when and if this was going to happen. He’d never pushed her, never expected anything from her.

She shook her head slightly, “I’m tired of it Jack, I can’t hide it anymore.”

She ran the back of her hand from the middle of his chest down to his navel and that seemed to be all he needed to spur him into action. She was flat on her back in an instant, his mouth crushed to hers and his body leaning over her. His leg hooked over hers and she felt his hard cock rub against her hip through the thin layers of their underwear. His hand palmed the soft cotton of her bra and grasped at her breast. She arched her back, pushing her breasts closer to him and moaned into his mouth when his thumb brushed over a hard nipple.

He broke their kiss and rested his forehead on hers, breathing fast, “You sure about this?”

She nodded, linked her hands behind his head and pulled him back to her for a fierce kiss. She nudged at him with her leg, pushing her body upwards and he willingly rolled onto his back, taking her with him, still joined at the lips, until she was straddling his hips. She rocked on his erection and his hands flew to her waist, holding her still and grinding upwards, the layers of material between them dampening more with each thrust. One of his hands slid up her back and expertly unclasped her bra, and she felt his smug grin against her lips and she chuckled softly at his juvenile pride. She sat up and drew the straps down her arms, dropping her bra on the floor, a cool wave of air blowing across her as the sleeping bag slipped down her bare back, making her nipples harden even further.

He grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her back down to him, lowering his head to catch a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard and moaning around the areola. She gasped and her hands gripped the silky material of the sleeping bag on either side of his head. Then his hand slipped back between her thighs and she cried out when his fingers stroked across her clit through the wet fabric of her underwear.

“God Jack,” she breathed, grinding her pelvis down and trying to increase the friction. His fingers moved faster, and then he hooked his index finger around the elastic of her panties and pulled them aside. His middle two fingers slid inside her and his thumb continued the assault on her clitoris. Her head buzzed with anticipation as her body responded to the ministrations of his talented hands and his mouth on her breast. She was close, so very close already, panting, moaning, her body trembling.

He lifted his head and his lips carelessly swept over hers. A wet, open-mouthed kiss was all they could manage as they both gasped for air, their tongues clashing and twisting around each other. He abruptly removed his hand and yanked his boxers down as far as he could without changing their position, freeing his straining cock. He fisted it, pulled her panties aside once again and rubbed the head over her slick folds. He growled into her mouth and she shifted her hips until the head was positioned at her opening and slid down easily, sheathing him inside her and screwing her eyes shut as the sensation threatened to overwhelm her completely. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and began to move immediately, his hands circling her hips, urging her on as she glided up and down his shaft, twisting her pelvis a little when she reached the bottom so that he hit her g-spot. He was meeting her thrust for thrust, murmuring in her ear, gripping her hips tightly and they licked and nipped at each other’s skin between breaths.

She came hard, slamming her hips down onto his and burying her face in his neck, her low cry barely muffled by the skin her mouth had latched onto. Her muscles contracted around his cock, squeezing tight, drawing out her orgasm, and she heard a whimper from the back of his throat. He thrust upwards into her, holding her hips still and angling her to just where he wanted her. The aftershocks of her orgasm were still wracking her body and she moaned softly as he drove into her slick flesh, mindlessly seeking his own climax.

His hips finally lost their rhythm and his head fell back, his eyes fluttering shut and she heard a low rumble from deep in his chest as he pumped into her, coming with her name a harsh cry on his lips. They laid still, she collapsed on top of him, his arms thrown around her back; and the only sound was their heavy breathing, the occasional little moan or whimper from one of them as their bodies recovered. She couldn’t hear the rain anymore and she wondered if it had stopped, but she didn’t want to move and end this moment between them; a moment of perfect intimacy.

She rested her head on his chest, her fingers playing across his skin, and she could hear his slowing heart rate under her ear. The steady rise and fall of his chest was comforting and she felt her eyes begin to get heavy as the rhythm lulled her into a state of complete relaxation. She sighed softly and he pressed a gentle kiss into her hair, his ever-restless hands running lines up and down her spine, fingertips just gently skimming her skin.

“Carter?” he asked, his voice rough, but quiet. “We need to clean up.” He was right, the sticky wetness between them was beginning to get unpleasant, and the underwear that hadn’t been removed was chafing her skin, but she was still loath to move. She sighed reluctantly; rolling off him and pulling the sleeping bag back up around her shoulders. He tugged his boxers all the way off, used them to clean himself and threw them into the corner of the cave, then pulled a fresh pair out of his pack, proceeding to get dressed.

The morning light was beginning to filter into the cave and in the dim illumination she watched his lithe body as he moved around and dressed, tucking herself up in the sleeping bag and noticing that he was avoiding her eyes. Their fire had almost gone out and she could see now that she was right about the rain; it had stopped.

The cloying fear began to creep over her when he left the cave silently, without so much as a glance in her direction.

***

It was almost two hours before she was pissed off enough to venture out and find him. At first, she’d been willing to sit and wait; she knew him well enough to know when he needed space, needed time out to think and process. But when he didn’t return she decided to do something about it. She angrily pulled on her shorts, boots and a t-shirt, and then stalked out of the cave. They needed to work this thing out; he was right, they’d crossed a line and there was no going back.

She started near the little pool of water, but he wasn’t there. The muddy ground squelched under her boots; it really had rained hard. The sun was creeping higher in the sky and although she started to feel the heat of it, it would take a while for the ground to dry out. She took a moment to quickly wash up, scrubbing her face and wetting her messy hair before smoothing it down with her fingers. It probably still looked a mess, but it was the best she could do for the moment.

She made her way along the path they used most often between the pool and the beach and when she stepped out of the trees, her breath caught in her throat at the sight in front of her. Across the water, the sky was still dark, startling in contrast to the bright blue above her, and she could see the storm raging over the mainland, the rain finally doing something to temper the fire. She felt a flutter of hope; at least one thing was going their way. They didn’t have the boat anymore to get back, but she had no doubt that Teal’c and Daniel would mount a rescue as soon as it was safe.

She walked along the wet sand, her eyes continually drawn back across the ocean and she started a little when she heard his voice.

“Quite a sight isn’t it?”

He was sitting under what remained of their shelter and she had a feeling he’d probably had to build some, if not all, of it back up. There was no way it would’ve stood up to the wind and rain and remained intact. She stalked towards him, her anger flaring again, and she was satisfied by the brief panic in his eyes. He stood to meet her and she stopped a foot or so away from him, worried that if she got any closer all rational thought would leave her and she might just give in to the urge to smack him in the mouth.

He eyed her balled fists and raised his hands, palms facing her, “Woah! Not gonna punch me are ya?” he asked with far too much humour in his voice for her liking.

“I’m thinking about it,” she shot back. She took a step closer and he backed away with satisfying alacrity. “What the hell Jack? You just walk out and don’t say a word?”

The humour was gone this time, “I just needed a little space to think.”

“For two hours?” She was yelling, she was aware of it and yet couldn’t stop it. He straightened to his full height in response and she could see his fight or flight instinct kicking in.

“Yes! I had a lot to think about,” he took a step closer, but his voice softened a little, “And so do you.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, “If I hadn’t already thought about it, I wouldn’t have...”

“Jumped on me?” he offered and she couldn’t help the instinctive laughter. Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip. He was smiling and stepped closer, obviously deciding it was safe to do so now. His hand tentatively reached up to her cheek. “Not that I didn’t enjoy it...”

He leaned forward and his lips brushed hers in a sweet, but quick, kiss, pulling back all too soon. She grabbed his head with both hands and pulled him back to her, pushing her body up against his and kissing him deeply, her anger quickly morphing into arousal. He returned her enthusiasm at first; getting caught up in the moment, but his hands gripped her shoulders and gently eased her away. “Carter...wait a minute.”

She sighed reluctantly, “Yeah I know. We have to talk about this.”

He nodded, “What about Pete?”

She was a little startled at his direct questioning, but this was no time for beating around the bush, this was the time for them to be starkly honest with each other. “I’ll end it. I can’t...” her voice dropped almost to a whisper and she broke the eye contact with him, the shame rushing over her, “I don’t cheat Jack. Ever.”

“No, you don’t seem the type,” he huffed out a breath, “So once you deal with that...then what?”

Her eyes slowly made their way back to his and she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess...one of us has to leave SG1.” Saying it out loud made it all too real and she felt the tears welling in her eyes. SG1 wouldn’t exist as they knew it anymore, no matter what happened. The enormity of the realisation hit her in one crashing wave and she lowered herself to the ground before her knees buckled.

He sat beside her, both of them looking out across the sea, their hope of rescue was edging ever closer as the flames died down under the pouring rain.

“I’d never ask you to give up your career,” he said firmly and she smiled at the familiar, comforting words.

“I know,” she answered. “Me either, but I wouldn’t be giving it up, just...changing direction.”

“No, I won’t let you do it.”

She glared at him. “You won’t let me do it?”

“Look Carter, I’m about a year away from retiring anyway,” he turned to face her, “You’d be giving up a hell of a lot more than I would and I can’t let you do that. The SGC needs you.”

She shifted a little closer, her arm brushing his, “We need you too,” she said simply, aware that he was not a man that took compliments well.

He sighed. “Our only other option is to sneak around behind everyone’s back and keep this a secret, and I’m really not OK with that.” His hand threaded through her hair, pulling the strands away from her face and behind her ear, “Retirement on the other hand, I really am OK with.” He leaned closer to her, his lips brushing her cheek.

“You sure?” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. The sacrifice he was willing to make for her, for them, was almost beyond belief.

“I’m sure,” he whispered back, his soft kisses fluttered across her face and she closed her eyes, lost in the sensation. His lips grazed hers and she parted them a little, letting him slowly explore her mouth; his tongue massaged hers, his lips softly kneaded hers and she was completely blown away by the depth of emotion he put into his kiss.

She wrapped her arms around him and lay down, pulling him with her into the cool, wet sand. He rolled on top of her and braced himself on his elbows, so that their noses were still touching.

She smiled up at him, “Slowly this time.”

***

The fire had been raging for exactly seven days when the storm had blown in. Daniel hadn’t been expecting that to actually happen, and Sarki’s “told ya so” look after Daniel’s scepticism all week had been unbearable. Badru had graciously put him and Teal’c up in his home for the few extra days they’d been here, once it had become apparent that they really weren’t going to be leaving without Jack and Sam, and he had to admit, he’d had worse weeks.

He’d felt much better once he’d spoken to Sam, once he’d heard her voice and reassurance that they were both ok, but seven days was a long time for those two to be alone. The tension between them since Pete had been on the scene hadn’t gone unnoticed by Daniel or Teal’c. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by half of the SGC. Jack’s foul mood for the first few days had almost been unbearable; he’d hidden it pretty well from Sam, but the rest of the team and anyone else who happened to cross his path had borne the brunt of his frustration.

As for Sam, she’d slowly been distancing herself from all of them, spending more and more time with Pete as the months went on. Daniel was happy for her, but he couldn’t help noticing that just lately, whenever he asked how things were going, she was surprisingly evasive, even with him. When they got back, he decided he needed to talk to her and find out just what the hell was going on; he felt like he was losing his team, losing his friends. He knew SG1 wouldn’t last forever, but he really hadn’t thought that this would be the way it would end, the four of them just drifting off in different directions.

The villagers didn’t seem at all concerned about the fire and had, in fact, pretty much been celebrating all week in anticipation of Jack and Sam’s consummated “union”. Daniel was pretty sure, if he got to Sam and Jack first, he might be able to convince them to lie, to tell the villagers that it had happened; after all, they’d been told to do whatever was necessary to solidify this treaty and trade agreement. Disappointed locals would not equal lots of Trinium.

Daniel was woken by the loud claps of thunder, bright flashes of lightening and the crazy local people dancing in the streets, in the middle of the thunderstorm, in the pouring rain. He shared a wry look with Teal’c as they stood at Badru’s front door and watched the activities of their hosts, and it was hard not to smile at their antics.

Badru came rushing over, a wide smile on his face, “_This is a joyous day!_” he exclaimed, grasping one of Daniel’s hands between both of his, “_The fire will be out within the day and your friends will return to us._” He rushed off again to join the others before Daniel could warn him of the dangers of being outside, near trees, for crying out loud, when there was so much lightening in the air.

He sighed heavily and turned to Teal’c. “I guess we just wait and see.”

Badru had been right, within a few hours the rain had almost put out all of the fire and Daniel immediately dialled the gate and asked for the UAV to be sent back up and over to the island. It flew directly to the island this time, since they knew exactly where Jack and Sam were, and Daniel and Teal’c used the MALP’s equipment to pick up the telemetry being sent back by the UAV. He called on his radio, but got no answer, and a feeling of utter dread settled in his stomach; it wasn’t like either of them to be caught without a radio, especially in this situation. He tried not to panic, but his voice was sounding more and more desperate every time he called them, even to his own ears.

Teal’c laid a steadying hand on his shoulder and Daniel took a deep breath, calling once more through the radio and still getting no response.

“Perhaps something is interrupting the signal?” Teal’c offered and Daniel nodded; they had been cut off for no apparent reason last time. Eventually the blue water on the screen gave way to the almost white sand and Daniel began scanning the picture for any sign of his friends.

***

He had her pushed up against a tree near the little pond they used for bathing and they were both covered in wet, sticky sand. He was kissing her neck, one hand was underneath her t-shirt, palming her breast, and the other was tugging at her shorts.

“Do you have any idea...” his voice was husky, sending little ripples of anticipation through her body, “...how much trouble...” his breath was warm on her neck and felt wonderful, “...these shorts have been giving me the last few days?”

She chuckled and his head lifted, a wide grin on his face. “About as much as yours have been giving me?” she answered and he immediately captured her lips with his. She was learning quickly: it turned out he could take a compliment, but only if it was subtle and if he could respond with a fierce kiss, a bite on her skin, or a particularly hard thrust inside her. He’d never been one for words; he always spoke with his actions. She broke away, panting. “I thought we came here to wash up?” she asked.

He nodded, “We did, but if we’re gonna take our clothes off anyway...” he trailed off and she laughed again; she really didn’t need that sentence finishing for her.

“You’re insatiable!” she joked.

“Seven years to make up for, Carter.” His mouth made its way down her neck and to her collar bone. “Seven loooooong years.”

She was vaguely aware of the sound in the distance, but the distraction of his mouth on her skin and his hands impatiently trying to undress her meant it took a while for it to sink in. A UAV. It was the unmistakeable drone of a UAV. She pushed him away quickly and he growled in protest, doubling his grip on her.

“Jack!” she hissed, “The UAV. Where’s your radio?” She hadn’t picked hers up when she’d left the cave all those hours ago.

He stepped back, breathing heavily and patted down the pockets in his shorts, sending her a sheepish look; evidently he’d been in too much of a rush to leave this morning too. She rolled her eyes, straightened her clothes and they both ran back to the cave, turning out their packs to find the radio spouting Daniel’s frantic voice. He found his first, rushing back outside and yelling an answer.

“Yes, Daniel we’re here!”

She heard an emphatic “Thank God,” crackle through the radio, followed by, “You guys ok?”

“Yeah Daniel we’re fine; lost our boat though.”

She heard General Hammond’s voice through the radio. “That’s ok Colonel, we’ll send a team through right away to come and get you.”

“Thank you, sir!” Jack answered, a delighted smile breaking out across his face at the prospect of finally being rescued. “O’Neill out.” He dropped the radio from his mouth, hanging it by his side and when he turned to her, his happiness faded into a look of apprehension as they both realised that in just a few hours, they would likely be back at the SGC. “Ready to go back to the real world?” he asked.

She could hear the doubt in his voice, the unspoken question hanging on the end of his sentence. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes,” she answered resolutely, “I’m not even going to pretend that this is going to be easy, but yes; I’m ready.” They shared a gentle kiss. It would probably be their last for a while; they had to get used to putting that distance between them again until everything was resolved.

An hour later, they were back on the beach, clean, dressed in full gear despite the heat, and all of their equipment neatly packed away, ready to leave this island. He paced up and down, his fingers drumming on his P90, his index finger occasionally wrapping around the trigger. She’d seen him like this dozens of times before after being separated from his weapon for any length of time, re-familiarising himself with the feel of it in his hands, against his chest. She knew the feeling; being in full uniform again was a little strange, but comforting at the same time.

The boat they had spotted across the water was making its way quickly towards them, the hum of the motor increasing in volume by the minute; at least they didn’t have to row back this time. He peered through his binoculars and then turned to her with a smile. “Reynolds,” he said.

Their trip back across the ocean was definitely much easier than the trip the other way, taking just a fraction of the time. She was surprised to find Daniel waiting for them on the shore. She hopped out of the boat and he immediately pulled her into a hug which she returned with vigour, but they were interrupted by the colonel’s harsh tone.

“Daniel!” he stalked over to them, “Is there any chance something might have got lost in your translation last week?” His voice dripped with sarcasm and she was about to jump to Daniel’s defence when she saw the blush rising in his cheeks.

“Uh yeah, about that...”

She closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this, and Jack was going to be insufferable if his apparent paranoia turned out to be more founded than she’d first thought.

***

“Well that was embarrassing!” Jack grouched as the four of them made their way back to the Stargate.

“Did you have to go into so much detail?” she asked. He’d been reluctant to go along with Daniel’s plan at first, but when they’d realised “pretending” they’d had sex was going to secure them all the Trinium they could ever hope to get, the colonel had agreed. She’d been mortified at first by the questions the villagers were obviously asking Daniel, and when Jack started going into detail, giving her sly glances as Daniel translated for the aliens, that urge to smack him in the mouth head reared up again. He’d enjoyed it far too much.

“Had to make it convincing Carter,” he smirked at her, and then winked.

A frown crossed Daniel’s face. “It was certainly convincing Jack,” he mused, his eyes flicking between the two of them and she hoped to god that her blush wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

Daniel turned to dial the gate and she shot Jack a glare, getting only a wider grin in return. The gate whooshed into life, the shimmering blue haze signalling home, a hot shower, and a nice comfortable bed to sleep in, possibly not alone. They stepped through and were greeted warmly by General Hammond.

“Welcome back,” he smiled at them and she just couldn’t help but smile in return, it was definitely good to be home.

“Deal’s done General,” the colonel reported, “They’re willing to give us...well, anything we want, and uh...” his eyes flickered to her and then back to the General’s, “...we need to talk sir.”

She grinned. Oh yeah, it was good to be home.


End file.
